Turning Heads
Daniel Goodin
Midland SDA Church
September 14, 2024
· The Plan for Israel ◦ Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV — Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
· The Sparkle That Catches the World’s Eye
◦ Deuteronomy 4:5-8 NKJV — “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. “Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? “And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?
· Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
◦ 1 Kings 10:1, 4-7, 9 NKJV — Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. (. . .) And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. “However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. (. . .) “Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
· Blessings on Obedience
◦ Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 9-14 NKJV — “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: (. . .) “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. “And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. “The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. “So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
· Blessing of Health
◦ Exodus 15:25-26 NKJV — So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
◦ Leviticus 11-15
▪ Clean and Unclean Creatures
▪ Uncleanness and Childbirth
▪ Uncleanness and Skin Diseases
▪ Cleansing of the Leper
· Spiritual Israel
◦ Romans 9:1-3, 6-8 NKJV — I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my
heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, (. . .) But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
◦ Galatians 4:7, 28 NKJV — Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. (. . .) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
· Remnant
◦ Revelation 12:17 NKJV — And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
· 1863 Health Reform Vision
◦ Ten categories of council given in health reform vision
▪ Care of health is a religious duty
· 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV — Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
· 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV — Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
▪ The cause of disease is a violation of health laws
· Top 10 causes of death in America in 2023
1. heart disease
2. cancer
3. accidents/unintentional injuries
4. cerebrovascular diseases
5. chronic lower respiratory diseases
6. Alzheimer’s disease
7. diabetes
8. kidney disease
9. chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
10 COVID-19
▪ She attacked intemperance on many fronts
· stimulating drinks
· tobacco
· highly spiced foods
· overwork
· indulgence in base passions
▪ Vegetarianism revealed as the ideal diet
· Adventist Health Study 2
◦ The study found a reduced risk for all-cause mortality in people consuming a vegetarian versus a non-vegetarian diet
◦ The study also found a linear relationship between a vegan dietary pattern versus a non-vegetarian dietary pattern. Having a vegan dietary pattern was associated with lower BMI and with lower odds of having diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Globally, populations that traditionally consume largely whole food, plant-based diets are where we find the longest expected average life spans, as demonstrated by the regions dubbed the “Blue Zones.” Both an increased consumption of unrefined plant foods and a decreased consumption of animal and highly processed foods seem to contribute towards increased longevity and reduced mortality.
· Adherence to a healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets (which are largely plant based) is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in cognitive performance, lower risk for cognitive impairment, and overall lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
▪ Control of appetite
▪ Control of the mind
▪ Natural remedies in healing
· pure air
· pure water – both for internal and external needs
· sunshine
· physical exercise
· adequate rest
· fasting for brief periods of time to give the stomach rest
· a firm trust in God
▪ Personal cleanliness
▪ Environmental concerns
▪ Health education by the church
· Epidemic of Lifestyle Diseases in the US ◦ The State of US Health, 1990-2016 (JAMA 2018)
· Specific diseases and risk factors, such as drug use disorders, high BMI, poor diet, high fasting plasma glucose level, and alcohol use disorders are increasing and warrant increased attention.
◦ National Diabetes Statistics Report (CDC)
▪ Among US adults aged 18 years and older, crude estimates for 2017-2020 revealed
38.0% of all US adults had prediabetes, based on their fasting glucose or A1c level.
▪ Among the US population overall, crude estimates for 2021 revealed 38.1million adults
aged 18 years or older – or 14.7% of all US adults – had diabetes.
◦ Adult Obesity Facts (CDC)
▪ The prevalence of obesity among US adults 20 and over was 41.9% during 2017- March 2020. During the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity among US adults was 9.2%. This means that more than 100 million adults have obesity, and more than 22 million adults have severe obesity.
· Beacons of Health
◦ Adventists should stand out in the world as beacons of health
◦ What if...
▪ Adventist Christians were recognized by their communities as people of undeniably superior health
▪ our older Adventist members regularly demonstrated that it is possible to possess independence and good health late in life
▪ Adventist churches were known not only as centers of healing for a diseased soul but also for a diseased body
▪ new members demonstrated undeniable health improvements as they were discipled in the Adventist health principles
▪ community members sought out their local Adventist church for healing from chronic disease
▪ physicians were forced to recognize the efficacy of the Adventist lifestyle in treating chronic disease and directed their patients to seek out the local Adventist church for healing
▪ Adventist churches were overflowing not only due to an influx of new members, but also because our current members consistently live into their 90s-100s
▪ Adventist health programs were filled to capacity because people recognized their effectiveness as demonstrated in the Adventist church members
▪ we were better able to tolerate spiritual meat instead of spiritual milk because our minds were no longer dulled by poor lifestyle habits
▪ our work performance was regularly superior to our peers because our bodies and minds were optimized through healthy lifestyle practices
▪ we valued the health message as direct council from God to His people
◦ These blessings aren’t seen because the message isn’t valued.
· Decision
◦ Josiah and the Book of the Law
▪ 2 Kings 22:11 NKJV — Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.
▪ 2 Kings 23:1-3 NKJV — Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.